Raising & Feeding Baby Tiger Cubs

This article is primarily meant for the benefit of
sanctuaries, zoos, and other professional animal caregivers. It is in
no way meant to encourage individuals to obtain or own young tigers.
All the articles I have written on this subject explain why it is not
appropriate for either the human or the tiger to be owned by private
ownership, except in those very, very rare circumstances where the
human has the knowledge, experience, finances, stability, and property
to embark on such a dangerous and complicated endeavor for the perhaps
25 years the cat will live. This is not an elitist viewpoint. I am in
favor of any animal receiving a happy, healthy, and stress-free
existence, regardless of the source. Rather, it is based upon years of
time spent with exotic cats and observing how few individuals have the
rudimentary skills necessary to interact with an exotic cat safely,
much less give it the security and support it needs.

At the International Exotic Feline Sanctuary, we
have just weaned three white tiger cubs we raised from the age of 4
weeks to their current 5 months. Since we are a sanctuary, not a
breeding facility, we don't often get very young cubs to raise. While I
have raised young cubs, I wouldn't consider myself highly experienced
in the skills of bottle-feeding young cubs, and therefore sought out as
much information as I could find to insure we were using the very
latest research for successfully rearing baby tigers.

I was surprised at the lack of good information on
the Internet, no matter how diligently I searched. I got information
anecdotally from several individuals I knew and trusted who had raised
cubs frequently. I decided it would be a good idea to publish our
experience and techniques for raising these cubs, as they have been
extremely healthy and trouble-free throughout their bottle-feeding
period, and they are now very healthy young tigers weighing
approximately 50-60 pounds each. I hope this information helps other
sanctuaries, zoos, and other caregivers that need this information.

First Four Weeks:

For the first two days, their mother nursed the
cubs. After being taken from their mother, they were given horse
colostrums for 5 days. Their formula for the first four weeks was one
ounce of Esbilac added to two ounces of water and 2 ccs of Nutri-Cal.
They were each fed this formula 4-8 times a day until they were taking
their bottle regularly.

It was at this point that the cubs were delivered to IEFS.

After that period, their formula was changed to the following:

Basic formula:

Esbilac 1 can, 12 oz. (powder)

Goat milk 1 can, 12 oz. (fluid)

Nutri-cal 1 tube, 4.25 oz. (paste)

Bottled water to make one gallon

In addition, we added Gerber stage 2 baby food. We used 6 jars, 2.5 oz.each jar, of the following varieties:

See at weekly data after formula chart below: we
added additional baby food at 8 weeks of age, and we added ground
turkey to the formula at 10 weeks of age. We increased the amount of
ground turkey added to the formula at 12 weeks of age.

Gerber stage 2 baby food is highly recommended, as it does not contain any onion, which is toxic to exotic cats.

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING FORMULA:

Always wash your hands before touching anything that will be in contact with the cubs!!

1. Heat a few ounces of bottled water to warm

2. Pour the warm bottled water into the blender

3. Add entire tube of Nutri-cal into the warm water (having the water warm simply helps dissolve the Nutra-cal)

4. Blend Nutri-cal into water while opening up baby food jars

5. Add the baby food to the blender

6. Liquefy the contents of the blender until thoroughly mixed (about 5 minutes)

7. While the blender is still on liquefy, begin
slowly adding the Esbilac powder to the mixture - if added too fast,
the Esbilac will begin to clump and will take longer to mix

8. Add the goat's milk to the blender at this time to help the Esbilac dissolve into the mixture

9. Let the mixture continue to blend for a few minutes to make sure well blended

10. Pour mixture into a one-gallon container

11. Add enough bottled water to the mixture to make
one gallon (use some bottled water to rinse out the blender to get the
last of the mixture)

12. This gallon will be good for about 2 days in the
refrigerator - do not keep longer than that. Before pouring formula
into the bottles, be sure to stir or shake the container well. The baby
food especially tends to fall to the bottom.

13. Pour specified amount of formula into the
bottles. Heat the bottles to warm the formula. Remember that the
outside of the bottle will warm faster than the liquid inside, and
always test the temperature of the formula by dabbing a few drops on
your arm. Do not put nipples in the microwave � this will quickly
affect their elastic properties.

Understand that this much formula was made for 3
tiger cubs. Since you don't want to keep the formula refrigerated for
more than 2 days, you would obviously make proportionately less for
fewer cubs.

Sanitation:

It is very important that the area in which the cubs
are kept is as clean as possible, and anyone who comes into contact
with the cubs should take precautionary measures to keep it so. The
area in which our cubs lived was scrubbed prior to their arrival with a
50/50 bleach and water solution. The floors were mopped with water and
a capful of bleach daily. A footbath concentration of 50/50 bleach and
water was always present at the door. It was required to step in this
solution before walking into the cub area. Anyone who had contact with
the cubs was required to wash their hands before contact. Disinfectant
spray was also used on the gates and latches on a regular basis. Any
fecal matter collected was removed immediately and the area disinfected.

Bottle Washing:

The bottles should be kept as clean as possible. We
used very hot water, antibacterial dish soap and a bottlebrush. All
parts of the bottle (bottle, cap, nipple, etc.) must be disassembled
and scrubbed individually. Be sure to scrub inside of the nipple with a
smaller brush. The bottlebrushes should be replaced every so often so a
good, firm, and clean brush is used. The bottles and parts should be
rinsed with hot water. After all washing is through, soak the bottles
and parts in a sinkful of clean water with a capful of bleach to
sterilize. Do not let the bottles soak for more than about 5-10
minutes. To prevent residue on the bottles, dry all parts immediately
with a paper towel.

Nipples:

It is very important to use the correct-sized
nipples for the cubs to prevent them from drinking too fast and getting
milk into their lungs. At 5 weeks of age, we were using three-holed
nipples. We used an exacto knife to enlarge the holes slightly as the
cubs got older. At 10 weeks of age, ground turkey was put into their
formula. Due to the tendency of the turkey to clump and clog the
nipples, we began using crosscut nipples. We used an exacto knife to
adjust the size of these crosscuts as the cubs got older. We regularly
replaced the nipples when they became sticky or eventually chewed up.

Feeding:

Be sure to feed the cubs with the bottle held at an
angle which insures that no air is taken with the formula. Have the cub
standing with all four feet on the floor and its head angled up to
insure that no fluid enters its lungs. Always watch the cub while it is
feeding to make sure that it maintains a position that insures no fluid
enters the lungs; perhaps the most dangerous part of bottle-feeding
young cubs. If the cub slows down or stops feeding, just give it a few
minutes to relax then try again.

(A bottle was made for each cub with the specified
number of ounces for that week; however, an additional bottle was also
made in case any cub wanted more to drink.)

Six Weeks Old:

At this time, we reduced the Nutri-cal to 1/2 of a
4.25 oz. Tube. We also began feeding small amounts of ground turkey to
the cubs after their bottle at each meal to begin teaching them to eat
solid food. Concentrated crystalline taurine was added to the cubs'
bottles also in the amount of 200 mg per cub per day.

Seven Weeks Old:

We began adding a pinch of calcium to the ground turkey the cubs were eating after their bottle each meal

Eight Weeks Old:

We increased the amount of calcium per cub to 1/8 tsp. per cub per feeding.

Ten Weeks Old:

We began adding Missing Link Supplement in the
amount of 1/4 tsp. per cub per feeding. We also added 2.5 oz of ground
turkey to the formula. The ground turkey was added at the same step as
the baby food and was liquefied in the blender for 5 minutes to blend
the meat. It is important to thoroughly blend this meat. When the
formula sits for a while, the ground turkey in the formula tends to
clump together and make strings. It is more important than ever to stir
or shake the formula container to properly mix. As more ground turkey
is added to the formula, it is even a good idea to stir what is in the
gallon container and then re-blend the amount of formula you plan to
pour into the bottles. This will help prevent ground turkey strings
from clogging up the nipples when the cubs are trying to drink. At this
time, the cubs were also given a pound of meat each per day in addition
to their formula.

In addition, we began adding Dallas Crown meat to
begin the process of giving the cubs what they would ultimately be
eating as adults. Initially, the proportion of Dallas Crown to ground
turkey was 1:4. We were giving each cub a pound a day initially.

Twelve Weeks Old:

We began adding Pet-Tabs vitamins in the cubs' meat in the amount of 1 Pet Tab per cub per day.

Here is the supplement schedule we used week by week:

No calcium was used during the first week of
introducing ground turkey to the cubs (6 weeks of age). At 7 weeks of
age, a pinch of calcium was added to the meat. At 10 weeks, Missing
Link was added to the meat along with calcium. At 12 weeks, Pet-Tabs
were also added to the meat. Concentrated crystalline taurine was given
to the cubs in their bottles beginning at 6 weeks of age (200 mg per
cub per day). As the cubs decreased the amount of formula they were
drinking and increased the amount of solid meat they were eating, the
taurine was put into their meat instead of their bottles. By 16 weeks,
about 400 mg per cub per day was added to the meat. Once the cubs were
receiving all Dallas Crown, the amount of taurine was cut to 200 mg per
day.

Small amounts of ground turkey were introduced to
the cubs by hand at 6 weeks of age. All Dallas Crown used was blended
in a food processor.

Stimulation:

The cubs were stimulated to urinate and defecate
from the day they were born once a day until they were about 13-14
weeks at the end of one of their bottle-feedings. We used baby wipes to
stimulate. If they did not defecate at the time of stimulation, or if
they defecated only a very small amount, then we tried to stimulate
them again at the next feeding. The cubs began to urinate on their own
around 6 weeks. At 13-14 weeks of age, a little stimulation was
provided for defecation. By 15 weeks, the cubs were defecating and on
their own.

Mineral Oil:

Mineral oil was used to help defecation. Each cub
was different. The mineral oil was started when baby food was added to
the cubs' formula (when incisors were majority of the way in, before 5
weeks old). For our male cubs, 1 cc of mineral oil was added two
different times daily to their bottles. For our female cub, 1/2 cc of
mineral oil was added two different times daily to her bottle. The
mineral oil was put in their bottles at the feeding times surrounding
the stimulation. For instance, feeding times occurred at 8 am, 12 noon,
and 5 pm. At the noon feeding, the cubs were stimulated. Therefore the
mineral oil was put in their bottles at 8 am and at 5 pm. The amount of
mineral oil was adjusted according to the appearance of their stool,
especially when solid meat was introduced. If the amount was changed,
it was not changed again for at least a day in order to allow the cubs
to acclimate to the new dose. Mineral oil was lessened as the cubs grew
older and their diet stabilized and was eventually removed altogether
when the cubs were about 9 weeks of age.

Teeth:

We kept a careful check on the condition and
progress of teething of our cubs. We do not advocate beginning to feed
solid food until the cubs' eyeteeth are coming all the way in.

Vaccination:

Our veterinarian, Dr. Greg Moore, vaccinated in the following quantities and times:

At sixteen weeks of age we considered the cubs
weaned and eating 3 times a day. At this point they were receiving all
Dallas Crown with the same supplements as previously. We continued to
give a bottle at their noon feeding utilizing the same formula without
any baby food. We felt this was a good transition for the cubs and
additional insurance that they were receiving all the nutritional needs
they required. It was also a social interaction with their human
caregivers that they seemed to enjoy very much. As of this writing, the
cubs are five months old and weigh 50-60 pounds.

Of course, I have only addressed the cubs'
nutritional needs in this article. We at the International Exotic
Feline Sanctuary feel that their emotional needs are just as important
to the cubs' well-being, health, and happiness, if not more so. I have
not gone into all the techniques we are using to insure that they have
a happy childhood, because it is quite complicated, extensive, and
intricate. It would take at least as long as writing about their
nutritional development. Those facilities that are interested are
welcome to contact us for this information. We are very pleased with
their interaction with their human caregivers and the respect which
both the cats and the humans show to each other.

I would like to express my appreciation to one of
our keepers, Ms. Janelle Lemke, for her assistance in preparing this
information. Janelle was primarily responsible for preparing the
formula and meat for the cubs, and she kept careful records, which were
used in this article.

Hopefully this data will assist others that are
faced with the daunting task of raising young tiger cubs. Certainly, we
recognize that there are a number of different approaches and diets
that have probably been successfully used; the above information is
perhaps just one of them. At least it will give others a point of
departure for their nutritionist and/or veterinarian.